tony
adjective
high-toned; stylish.
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tonier.
tony
1 American
[toh-nee]
/ ˈtoʊ ni /
adjective
Informal.
tonier,
toniest
Tony
2
American
[toh-nee]
/ ˈtoʊ ni /
noun
Tonys
plural
Tony
3
American
[toh-nee]
/ ˈtoʊ ni /
Tony
1
British
/ ˈtəʊnɪ /
noun
tony
2
British
/ ˈtəʊnɪ /
adjective
Usage
What is a Tony? A Tony is an annual award given by the American Theatre Wing (ATW) for excellence in theater production. The Tony award is a black statuette featuring a suspended medallion with the image of the comedy and tragedy mask and the winner’s name, category, and winning year engraved on it. The awards are given out at the Tony Awards ceremony, also known as the Tonys. The Tonys are a televised ceremonial event that features celebrity hosts, musical performances, and Broadway announcements. Typically, the event is seen as one of the most important nights in the theater industry because it gathers many of its most talented performers, directors, and production crews.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of tony1
An Americanism dating back to 1875–80; tone + -y 1
Origin of Tony2
After the nickname of Antoinette Perry
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
One SpaceX buyer has been eyeing a $32-million pocket listing of his in tony Brentwood for months while waiting for the IPO, according to real estate broker Cory Weiss of Douglas Elliman.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2026
The expansive Spanish-style abode is located in the tony Spanish Oaks community of the Texas city and offered four bedrooms and 3.5 bathrooms, as well as just over one acre of land.
From MarketWatch ● May 1, 2026
In the 1960s and early ’70s, she is a plucky striver; in later decades, she is another famous author—book tours, awards, hobnobbing with luminaries, Democratic politics, remodeling homes in tony enclaves.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 13, 2026
Paramount owns the storied Melrose Avenue lot and Warner has a tony campus in Burbank.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 10, 2025
“Curiosity. Or perhaps envy. We’re clearly dressed for an important party. We do look rather tony, don’t we, Marion?”
From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
Born near Liverpool, Burnham entered politics in the 1990s after graduating from the University of Cambridge and went on to work under former Labour Prime Ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
A former minister in the Tony Blair and Gordon Brown governments, he was first elected to represent Paisley and Renfrewshire South in 1997.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
Indeed, her 1964 signature hit "Downtown", which sold millions and earned her a Grammy award, had no lyrics when she first heard composer Tony Hatch playing it on the piano.
From Barron's ● Jul. 17, 2026
Tony Jacklin wowed the home fans at Royal Lytham and, since then, it has been 57 years of relative hurt.
From BBC ● Jul. 16, 2026
Big Tony hiked up his baggy pants and headed into the lobby.
From "Dog Squad" by Chris Grabenstein
I had already seen “Fun Home” by the time it reached both Broadway and the 2015 Tonys, but when 11-year-old Sydney Lucas sang “Ring of Keys,” I was transported.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 4, 2026
Beyond the usual suspects, could Rose Byrne’s Oscar and Tonys profile boost her chances for the underrated ‘Platonic’?”
From Los Angeles Times ● May 20, 2026
Mr. Harris is always effortlessly charming, whether he’s hosting the Tonys or hawking mushroom coffee.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 16, 2025
It won several awards including four Tonys in 1968, including best play.
From BBC ● Nov. 29, 2025
Now the Tims and the Tonys can't afford to pay much, but they can afford something, and I think they ought to pay.
From A Crooked Mile by Onions, Oliver [pseud.]
Even after a post-fire decline, the average Altadena home value is currently about $1.15 million, according to Zillow, roughly a third the value of average homes in the mostly tonier Palisades.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2025
But a tonier environment did not equal greater comfort.
From New York Times ● Apr. 19, 2023
Because of the lower property values, even the tonier areas of St. Bernard got less of their damages covered.
From Salon ● Dec. 13, 2022
And unlike in tonier waterfront areas, many residents may not have the resources to rebuild after the sort of flooding that Ian could bring.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 28, 2022
As Brentwood got tonier, movie stars joined the ranks of the residents who regularly picked up groceries, had their shoes shined and mailed letters in the barn-shaped one-stop shopping complex.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 14, 2022
The State Farm move affects some of the county’s toniest neighborhoods — adding another layer of expense and financial risk for homeowners in areas that were already costly and imperiled by wildfires.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 10, 2024
MIAMI—For nearly 2 years, bustling teams of archaeologists—totaling more than 120 researchers on some days—have excavated a sprawling waterfront lot here in one of this seaside city’s toniest neighborhoods.
From Science Magazine ● Apr. 10, 2023
He has described how his parents saved to send him to Winchester College, one of Britain’s toniest and most expensive boarding schools.
From Washington Times ● Oct. 24, 2022
He has described how his parents saved to pay for a private education, and he attended Winchester College, one of Britain’s toniest and most expensive boarding schools.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 20, 2022
But it was only the most toniest people who did that kind of a trick.
From Olof Krarer, The Esquimaux Lady A story of her native home by Krarer, Olof
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
